WASHINGTON, D.C. – Vice President Mike Pence has sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi where he refused to invoke the 25th amendment and strip President Donald Trump of his power following calls to do so in the wake of the riots at the U.S. Capitol last week.
The House voted earlier today 223-205 to call on Pence to remove Trump from office, but Pence said he would not do so with the President having such a limited amount of time remaining in office.
“With just eight days left in the president’s term, you and the Democratic Caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment,” Pence said in his letter. “I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with the Constitution.”
Pence noted that he was doing his Constitutional duty last week when he refused to give in to President Donald Trump’s demands that he overturn the results of the 2020 election while overseeing the counting of electoral votes. Likewise, he said that not utilizing the 25th amendment in this instance was an example of adhering to that very same Constitutional duty.
“Last week, I did not yield to pressure to exert power beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will now not yield to the efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our nation,” he said.
The letter complimented Pelosi and the other members of Congress for pulling together and certifying the results of the 2020 election despite going through the frightening riots earlier in the day.
“Every American was shocked and saddened by the attack on our Nation’s Capitol last week, and I am grateful for the leadership that you and other congressional leaders provided and reconvening Congress to complete the people’s business on the site very same day,” he said. “It was a moment that demonstrated to the American people the unity that is still possible in Congress when it is needed most.”
Pence asked Pelosi to let the matter be – and not risk further division – and instead focus on the upcoming transition of power for the Biden Administration and pledged he would do everything in his power to ensure that event transpires as smoothly as possible.
“I urge you and every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and flame the passions of the moment,” he said. “Work with us to lower the temperature and unite our country as we prepare to inaugurate President-Elect Joe Biden as the next President of the United States. I pledge to you that I will continue to do my part to work in good pay faith with the incoming administration to ensure an orderly transition of power. So help me God.”
House Democrats have announced that if Pence does not invoke the 25th amendment, they will instead vote to impeach the President – perhaps as early as today – for a second time, a move that a growing number of Republicans have actually supported, including Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), John Katko (R-NY), Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.).
The impeachment is expected to easily pass in the Democrat-controlled House, but Trump is considered unlikely to be convicted in the Republican-controlled Senate.
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